History Main / HeroesLoveDogs

* In ''ComicBook/TheBoys'', Billy Butcher may be a general jerk and super killer, but he genuinely loves his [[BigFriendlyDog inaptly named British Bulldog Terror]], and he usually serves to [[MoralityPet show Billy's more human side]]. [[spoiler: When Jack From Jupiter kills Terror, [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Billy completely loses it]]]].

** Krypto also becomes ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s pet when she arrives on Earth. In alternate universe story ''Superman #149'' in which Superman gets murdered by Lex Luthor, Supergirl becomes Krypto's sole owner when she takes over her cousin's job. In most continuities, though, Supergirl's pet is a cat named Streaky.

* ''{{Franchise/Anpanman}}'' has Cheese, Anpanman's pet dog. He found Cheese as a stray when he was a little boy, and was the first creature he gave part of his head to to eat.

** Stannis mentions his affection for dogs — "loyal creatures" in his eyes. Played with in that during the Siege of Storm's End, after horses and cats had been consumed, he and his men were forced to eat all the hounds in the castle's kennels in order to survive.

[[quoteright:200:[[ComicBook/KryptoTheSuperdog https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/superboy-krypto_6467.jpg]]]]

-->-- ''Cracked.com'', [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19183_6-tricks-movies-use-to-make-sure-you-root-right-guy.html "6 Tricks Movies Use to Make Sure You Root for the Right Guy"]]

** All of Gladion's Pokemon are in some way canine -- Umbreon, Midnight Lycanroc, and even Silvally to a degree. Later on he catches a Zoroark.

** ComicBook/{{Superboy}}[=/=]Franchise/{{Superman}} and his dog companion [[Comicbook/KryptoTheSuperdog Krypto]].
** Krypto also becomes Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'s pet when she arrives on Earth. In alternate universe story ''Superman #149'' in which Superman gets murdered by Lex Luthor, Supergirl becomes Krypto's sole owner when she takes over her cousin's job. In most continuities, though, Supergirl's pet is a cat named Streaky.

** In ''Comicbook/KryptonNoMore'', Superman, Supergirl and Krypto fight and have fun together.

* Kamala from ''Comicbook/MsMarvel2014'' doesn't have her own dog. But when Lockjaw, the big friendly Inhuman dog, gets sent to help her out for a bit she falls in love with him. It helps that not only is he adorable, but he is the size of a small car and can teleport, great assets in a fight.

Think of this trope as being the physical manifestation of PetTheDog. If a character has a dog which is [[MoralityPet around him constantly and whom he is always nice, respectful, and loving to]], then that means a scene literally cannot go by in which he does not Pet The Dog. So of course he must be noble and good at heart. Villains who are [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals cruel]] enough to [[KickTheDog mess with the dog]], on the other hand, can expect full-on retribution from the hero in question, although [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes certain villains who also own and love dogs]] tend to consider the dog-owning hero a NotSoDifferent WorthyOpponent.

* During the second season of ''Series/PersonOfInterest,'' John and Finch pick up and start taking care of Bear, a Belgian military dog they stole from an Aryan Nation cell, and regularly feature him in some of the more light-hearted semi-comedic moments of the show.
** Bear also serves to show the increasing loyalty of both Shaw, the [[SociopathicHero sociopathic]] government assassin, and Root, [[HeelFaceTurn the former antagonist and reformed killer for hire]].

* Every ''VideoGame/{{Mother}}'' protagonist:
** Ninten from ''VideoGame/{{Mother 1}}'' has a dog named Mick.
** ''Videogame/{{EarthBound}}'' gives us a very old dog named King, who's been Ness's pet since the day he was born.
** Good old Lucas and Boney in ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}''.
* Galford, the All-American hero from ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' has his loyal pet dog as a combat gimmick.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGear''
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'': [[TheWoobie Otacon]] loves dogs and Snake is known to keep a team of Huskies, as he dabbles as a musher. However, Snake is not above murdering dogs which get in his way, much to Otacon's horror. [[TheVamp The villain Sniper Wolf]] also keeps a pack of wolf-dogs, referring to them as her family. Otacon indicates that [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter this is an example that she is, in fact, a nice person,]] though Snake is very doubtful of this.
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'', Big Boss can rescue a wolf pup whose mother had been killed. The pup is named DD and goes on to become the Diamond Dogs' mascot, complete with his own eyepatch to match his adoptive father.

* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', one of your possible companions is a strong Mabari warhound, and if you choose Human Noble origin, he's been with you for years. On the other hand, [[spoiler:WellIntentionedExtremist Teyrn Loghain also used to have a dog that he loved dearly, as he will reveal if you choose to recruit him near the end, and have him in your party with the dog.]]
** Ferelden culture loves dogs in general and particularly the majestic [[http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Mabari Mabari Hound]] for their strength, courage, and intelligence (which is implied to be on the same level as humans). The capital city of Denerim is even compared to the Mabari, and the term "Dog Lords" is used as a slur for Fereldens by other cultures.
*** A bit of lore in the third game has a warning to a new ambassador to Ferelden that using the term could cause a major incident. Not because it's a slur, but because they might interpret it as their dogs being insulted. Directly insulting their dogs would likely start a war.
** The Hawke family can have their own mabari warhound in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' (if you get the ''Black Emporium'' DLC). Even your most moody party members can't help but like him, though Anders states that he's immune to his charms due to being a cat person. This is par for the course; the Hawkes are Fereldans.
** Cullen in the ''Trespasser'' DLC for ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' adopts a Mabari (or, as is typical, the Mabari adopts him). And again... [[RunningGag Cullen is a Fereldan]].
** According to Fereldan folklore the savior Andraste had a [[http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Codex_entry:_Andraste%27s_Mabari loyal Mabari]] that got cut out of the canon version of her story. Andraste was, of course, Ferelden.

* We've got the crocadog in ''[[{{VideoGame/JakIIRenegade}} Jak II: Renegade]]'', who's only loyal to [[{{TheHero}} Jak]] [[spoiler: and his younger self]]. Of course, Jak is [[{{FriendToAllLivingThings}} good with animals]]...
* ''VideoGame/SepterraCore''. Grubb builds his own RobotDog, Runner, his best friend. [[spoiler: When Runner went missing, and was later found with Led, she and Grubb started bickering about which of them was his owner]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', one member of S.E.E.S. is Koromaru, an albino shiba inu who is taken in and cared for after he is discovered to have a Persona of his own and becomes the TeamPet. Shinjiro bonds quickly with Koromaru and cooks fancy meals for him. A female PlayerCharacter in the game's PSP port can forge a Social Link with him. Furthermore, in ''VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax'', Koromaru fights alongside Ken Amada.
* In ''VideoGame/Persona4'', Chie explains to the PlayerCharacter in her Social Link that she and her best friend, Yukiko, met as children over a dog that Yukiko's parents wouldn't let her keep, so Chie took care of the dog instead. In the [[Anime/Persona4TheAnimation anime adaptation]], Chie even has a picture of the dog, [[https://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Chie_Satonaka?file=Chie_has_a_picture_of_her_pet..jpg who has grown into a big ol' pupper]].
* Protagonist of VideoGame/InazumaEleven GO! Tenma has [[OldDog Sasuke]], a dog he rescued when it was still a puppy.
* The wannabe hero ''{{VideoGame/Nightshade}}'' is, fittingly, a huge dog fan ("What a pretty woofums!"). Cats don't agree with him, though.
* Abel from ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV''. More than one of his post-fight quotes are about his wish to have a pet dog, him wondering if he can go buy a pup collar after the match, etc. [[spoiler: In Super ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'', he ''does'' adopt a cute little pup.]]
* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyGhosts'' gives your heroes a loyal attack/scouting dog, which you control for a few sequences..

* Brick from the ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' series may be a gigantic, hugely-muscled, BloodKnight SociopathicHero, but he still loves dogs. In the first game he wears the paw of his deceased dog on a necklace as a TragicKeepsake. In the second game a second paw is added, since he had gotten another dog in between games that was killed by Nisha because she knew it was the only way to really hurt him. In ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'', where Nisha is PromotedToPlayable, it's revealed that [[spoiler:when she was a child she had a dog that she loved very much, and was forced to put it down when it went berserk after being bitten by a venomous creature. The incident scarred her and caused her to develop a hatred of cute animals, puppies in particular.]]
* In ''VideoGame/RuleOfRose'', the heroine (and only remotely sane character) is symbolized by dogs - most obviously, her pet puppy. She often cuddles this puppy and gives him treats; in fact [[spoiler:the dog's murder is partly what motivates her to fight the BigBad]]. The other, less moral, characters are symbolized by different animals and the BigBad extolls at great length [[spoiler:her]] ''specific'' hatred of dogs. Like, there are multiple diary entries where [[spoiler:she]] does nothing other than talk about how filthy and inferior to her they are.
* The Houndmaster of ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' is clearly attached to his Irish Wolfhound and is by far the most heroic of the assorted adventurers you can choose from. His damage animation shows him shielding his hound from harm with his own body, and his battle quips mostly revolve around praising and reassuring his hound. The bond is mutual, many of the Houndmasters battle and camp skills highlight the hound's dedication, with abilities like "lick wounds" and [[FuzzTherapy "therapy dog"]] for healing and reducing stress. As a duo, they are the most stoic unit when facing certain death at the hands of [[spoiler:the Heart of Darkness]].
-->"Steady, girl. If we're called, we answer."
** A Selfish Houndmaster inverts this trope. Selfish characters [[ItsAllAboutMe place their own interests above everyone else]], and are definitely ''not'' heroic; a Selfish Houndmaster places ''his hound'' above everyone else.
-->"The hound comes first. Then me. Then you..."
* The protagonist of every main-series ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' game can have a CanineCompanion; The [[VideoGame/{{Fallout}} Vault Dweller]], [[VideoGame/Fallout3 Lone Wanderer]] and [[VideoGame/Fallout4 Sole Survivor]] even have dogs from the [[LegacyCharacter same bloodline]]! Considering the [[CuttingOffTheBranches canonical events]] are almost invariably the Good and/or Lawful options, this trope is in full effect.
* Inverted in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey''. The Shiba Inu that shows up in some of the kingdoms will follow Mario around after it unearths a treasure.
* Orisa in ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}''. She's one of the more straightforwardly heroic characters, with her main purpose being protecting the civilian population of Numbani. One of her emotes is to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st4oDs1Bxkc take out a puppy and play with it]].
* Collete in ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia''. Her personal side quest to name every single stray dog in the game further shows how much of a dog lover she is.
* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'', we have Estelle...who unfortunately cannot ever get Yuri's dog Repede to like her even though she's the purest girl of the group. Even during their many victory quotes, Repede remains dismissive of her many attempts to get close to him, much to her chagrin. In contrast, Yuri's bond with Repede couldn't be any tighter than it is.

* Zagreus in ''VideoGame/{{Hades}}'' is extremely fond of Cerberus, and Cerberus reciprocates. There's a big ol' Pet Cerberus option when they interact in the House of the Dead. [[spoiler:When it looks like Cerberus is a boss, Zagreus instead starts running around the Temple of Styx looking for a sack of meat to bribe him with, because he'd rather risk an admittedly temporary death at the hands of angry satyrs than harm Cerberus.]]
* [[{{Deuteragonist}} Ellie]] from ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' seems to be fond of them, as she reacts with gleeful excitement when she sees a couple of them playing in the distance while her and [[PlayerCharacter Joel]] travel through an abandoned suburb. Joel is implied to like them too, when he can pet a dog that lives in the Jackson settlement. WordOfGod says that the team thought about letting Joel and Ellie adopt a stray puppy during their journey, but it was ultimately cut. [[VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII The sequel]] downplays this a bit in Ellie's case, showing that she's perfectly fine with killing them in self-defense. She's still friendly to the ones who aren't a threat to them though.

* The paladin Artix from ''VideoGame/AdventureQuest'', ''VideoGame/DragonFable'' and ''VideoGame/AdventureQuestWorlds'' has the same cute Pomeranian dog as his real-life counterpart. Daimyo can be obtained as a mascot for player characters, too.

* K-9, the robotic dog from ''Series/DoctorWho''

* The Houndmaster of ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' is clearly attached to his Irish Wolfhound and is by far the most heroic of the assorted adventurers you can choose from. His damage animation shows him shielding his hound from harm with his own body, and his battle quips mostly revolve around praising and reassuring his hound. The bond is mutual, many of the Houndmasters battle and camp skills highlight the hound's dedication, with abilities like "lick wounds" and [[FuzzTherapy "therapy dog"]] for healing and reducing stress. As a duo, they are the most stoic unit when facing certain death at the hands of [[spoiler:the Heart of Darkness]]

->''"It doesn't matter in'' Film/{{Gladiator}} ''that Romans didn't use dogs on the battlefield, or that the dog disappears from the movie immediately afterward. It's a very simple equation: The good guys are whichever team the dog shows allegiance to, because [[EvilDetectingDog the dog would never make that kind of mistake]], especially if it's an'' '''adorable''' ''dog."''

* Played straight in ''{{Literature/Deerskin}}'': The heroine's sighthound has been her [[NonhumanSidekick only real friend]] for most of her life. [[spoiler:(The evil king makes a point of [[KickTheDog kicking the poor beast]] right before [[ParentalIncest crossing]] the MoralEventHorizon.)]] And the WisePrince is more at home in the kennel than in the royal court.

Think of this trope as being the physical manifestation of PetTheDog. If a character has a dog which is [[MoralityPet around him constantly and whom he is always nice, respectful, and loving to]], then that means a scene literally cannot go by in which he does not Pet The Dog. So of course he must be noble and good at heart. Villains who are [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals cruel]] enough to [[KickTheDog mess with the dog]], on the other hand, can expect full-on retribution from the hero in question, although certain villains who also own dogs tend to consider the dog-owning hero a NotSoDifferent WorthyOpponent.

Think of this trope as being the physical manifestation of PetTheDog. If a character has a dog which is [[MoralityPet around him constantly and whom he is always nice, respectful, and loving to]], then that means a scene literally cannot go by in which he does not Pet The Dog. So of course he must be noble and good at heart. Villains who are [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals cruel]] enough to [[KickTheDog mess with the dog]], on the other hand, can expect full-on retribution from the hero in question.

* In ''Film/{{Dune}}'' (1984) Creator/PatrickStewart actually charges into action against the evil Harkonnen while clutching a pug dog to his chest. Mind you that's not the safest position for a dog to be in...

->''"It doesn't matter in'' Film/{{Gladiator}} ''that Romans didn't use dogs on the battlefield, or that the dog disappears from the movie immediately afterward. It's a very simple equation: The good guys are whichever team the dog shows allegiance to, because the dog would never make that kind of mistake, especially if it's an'' '''adorable''' ''dog."''

* Prince Eric from ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid''. This is, in fact, the entire reason why we know he's PrinceCharming in the beginning. The first thing we see him do is affectionately play with his dog, and hardly fifteen minutes later he nearly gets himself killed saving his dog's life.